media by Blake Cartwright

Varsity team members warm up before State Oct. 28. The team jogged the race course together before racing.

The varsity boys cross country team stretches and flexes, warming up on a side road before the Colorado High School Sports Athletic Association (CHSAA) 5A State race Oct. 28. 

The race occurred at the Norris Penrose Event Center, where teams gathered together for the conclusion of the 2023 season. 

To first achieve a spot to race in the State Championship, the Jags had to place in the top four of their Regionals meet–which they achieved by beating out Valor Christian and Mountain Vista High Schools.

“The nerves were pretty intense throughout the whole week leading up to State but we knew that we had a really great team on our hands,” runner Jack D’Souza ‘25 said. “We’d beat other top teams in prior meets, such as the Regionals meet, and we knew we had it in us to do it again.” 

Jack placed number 19 overall in the State, which was a personal best time for him.

According to Timeanddate.com, the temperature was a high of 40 degrees with a low of 19. At 2:20 p.m., the race began with an early lead by Owen Whitney ‘25. Whitney held onto his high-ranking spot, finishing fourth, with a time of 15 minutes and 32 seconds. He had an average mile time of four minutes and 59 seconds. 

With an average finish time of 16:11, and a finishing score of 96 points, the Jags won their first 5A title in school history, finally bringing home long-awaited hardware after many years of failing to even place in the top five.